UAL vs UCA and prospects for transferring
So, I currently have offers for the UAL Foundation Diploma in Art and Design and the UCA Visual Communication BA.
I think UAL is obviously the better uni, but the thing is they only offer the residential bursary for the foundation year, and it's not even guaranteed. It only covers accommodation, which is great, but there's no help with other living costs, and London is hella expensive. My family doesn't have a lot of money, and I'm not sure I'll handle a significant amount of work alongside studying without burning myself out.
And at UCA I can apply for a normal maintenance loan, and the cost of living is much lower in Canterbury.
So, for financial reasons and for the sake of my mental health, UCA feels like the more sensible choice.
I was thinking of how realistic it would be to do my first year in Canterbury and then transfer to UAL to complete my degree there. I want to transfer into Communication and Graphic Design at CSM, which is highly competitive, so I'm not sure how realistic that is.
I'm also considering transferring to Leeds Arts, the Uni of Leeds, Manchester Metropolitan or another good art uni in a mid-sized city.
Which offer should I accept?
Has anyone here transferred between universities, and in particular these two? Do you think it's a good idea?
I'll also appreciate any thoughts on anything I wrote about <3